A certain path to atonement
by Blitz12
Summary: Sequel to a certain destined encounter. Yuriko longs for the path to light, but will she fall into the path of carnage again? Female Accelerator X Touma.
1. Chapter 1

**A certain path to atonement**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even Yuriko.**

**Author's warning: This is a sequel to a certain destined encounter, so you should read that before you read this. **

Chapter 1

A day has passed since the showdown between Yuriko and Touma, with the Imagine Breaker as the victor against the strongest in Academy City, the level 5 Accelerator.

The once mighty harbinger of death, now sleeping peacefully under the care of Heaven Canceller, the frog faced doctor paced back and forth, assessing for vital signs, all of which were stable and even the bruises healed quicker compared to a normal human. _Well, it's not unexpected, seeing as the level 5 could just divert more bloody towards the site of injury, ensuring for faster healing, with the aid of the IV fluids containing increased Vitamin K_, thought the doctor.

A loud beep erupted over the monitor of the doctor's main computer. The doctor accessed his computer and looked at the contents; it contained a small list of instructions.

"_Heaven Canceller, restore the subject, Alvl5, to perfect condition. Also, maintain surveillance over her stay in the hospital. Also, I request an update regarding her progress q6hours._

_~A C"_

The doctor's facial expression was unreadable, but it was very apparent that he did not enjoy Aleister's meddlings very much, it was his responsibility to ensure that his patients were recovered and out of the hospital as soon as possible without being drawn to Aleister's sinister plans. He took one look at the girl before returning to his office…

Within the mind of Yuriko, her mind has calmed considerably after the fateful but sorrowful duel against her only friend. A small fraction of her mind still refused to acknowledge the defeat and was uttering curses and desires for revenge against the black haired teen, regardless of their previous friendship. It was this part of her mind that Yuriko wanted to contain as much as possible, this mind belonged to the blood thirsty persona of Accelerator, the one that killed scores of Sister clones with a grin on her face.

With much willpower and mental strength, she managed to reduce Accelerator to a voice that continued to whisper in her mind. With that problem solved, her thoughts of happiness materialised to a smiling Touma who stretched out with his right hand, the same hand that destroyed her illusions while saving her from a path to carnage.

The pale hand reached out eagerly for the black haired teen's extended hand before she felt a jerk on her abdomen and feet. The albino looked down at horror, as claws formed by black feathers were threatening to pull her down.

The more time she resisted, the more effort she had to spend in escaping the claws, and her eyes look pleadingly at Touma, who refused to let go and his expression became serious as he continued to pull Yuriko up despite the interference. But, Yuriko's sight was fading as the black feathers slowly engulfed her eyesight and she felt too drained to continue. She muttered a quick "Sorry" to Touma before her hands gave way…

With the end of that dream, Yuriko leaked 2 tears from her eyes, it was so close, yet she understood the message regardless,_ I am too deep into the darkness and there is no way that Touma can ever forgive me, not after all I have done…_With resignation, she turned towards other matters.

Slowly, she was regaining her both physical and mental strength and finally opened her eyes. The surrounding was blurred, much like one would suffer from severe myopia (close sightedness), but the vision was readjusting itself to the light but the eyes focused enough to notice that she was in a room of some sort that resembled a lab room.

Survival instincts kicked in, and the albino began to change the vectors, twisting the iron grips before a voice halted her.

The head doctor, which Yuriko noted mentally that he looked like a frog, looked at her calmly. _Well, at least he isn't here to kill me yet…_But the level 5 esper kept her guard high, her Redirection can kick in at any time, well if the doctor tried anything suspicious, his head would be rolling on the ground with his blood to paint the wall dark red.

"Well, at least you are fit enough to use your ability," the doctor muttered while scribbling down a footnote, in the charts. Without looking at the surprised esper, "You might want to lie down a little longer, several sedatives should be kicking in, but don't worry as soon as wake up the next time, you are free to leave." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a piece of candy. The hand moved towards Yuriko unflinchingly, "you want it? It contains enough nutrients to last you until the next morning."

Red eyes blinked twice, after several seconds of processing her decision, the esper slowly took the piece of candy while deactivating her Redirection to avoid killing the doctor by mere touch. "Thanks," uttered the strongest as she opened the wrapper, swallowed the pill while slumping back into the bed. Yuriko now hoped that she didn't regret her decision, well he was no threat to her…Slumber took over, hopefully one that would be devoid of nightmares.

Outside of the hospital and into Academy City's dorms…

Touma returned back to the dorms after leaving the hospital, with the time to reconnect the memories of Yuriko. To be honest, it was his heart that revealed the name, that he had a previous connection with the girl that was branded the label of "strongest", with mostly small flashbacks from childhood during the fight. He also realised that there was a small ray of goodness that laid inside the black shell of death. The strongest evidence to support this was the fact that the girl had cried in his hands upon saying his name, even though the level 0 esper did not introduce himself prior to the fight.

But before he could think further, a voice cut him away from his thoughts.

"Toouuummaaa…." Came the drawling voice of the nun, "Are you thinking about something again?" The British Sister had a skill in picking up when Touma was deeply in thought, even if he was carrying about his everyday tasks or at least bugging him enough when she was hungry.

The male's tone was neutral as he responded, "Do you believe that someone is beyond redemption even if he or she has done a great deal of atrocities?"

Index's eyes narrowed in accusation at Touma's question, "Touma, are you saying that you are the ones that did those atrocities? What did you do? Spit it out and God may forgive you, at least you won't end up in hell….possibly." With the last word much quieter and subtle than the rest. The subject of a place of eternal damnation would not be a proper thing to discuss, even if it involved atheists.

The spiky haired teen sweatdropped, "Hell, no! While I may be the epitome of misfortune, I never used my misfortune as a tool of vengeance against others!" Even though he said that, he wasn't completely sure but at least he didn't see himself in that regard.

Hoping to switch back to the main topic and praying that he won't suffer a headbite before he tells the story. Another trip to the hospital for bite wounds and possibly anemia from blood loss is a very bad way to start one's day.

"No, I am talking about a girl who walked the path of carnage with the idea of devouring the weak because she was brought up to train to be the strongest. Upon reaching the last obstacle, she finally decided to change her ways from the bottom of her heart." While Touma was unsure if Yuriko really wanted to redeem herself and walk towards the light, he wished that it was true and that he would support her if she needed him.

Despite having the appearance of the child deep in thought, Index's response was one that contrasted her apparent age and match a priest's wisdom. Her lips formed a genuine smile, "Has God ever deserted his creation of Earth, the countless animals and humans that he had formed with his own hands? The answer is no, for he loves everything. In fact, he loved the world that he sent his Son to cleanse us of our sins. So, the question of redemption is upon one's determination to repent. If that friend of yours' really wants to avoid that dark path and set herself upon a path of light, then yes, she is saved…"

"Thanks Index, that's all I need to hear."

With that, Touma left the apartment and headed to a gift store before heading off to school for that day…

Upon night time, red eyes opened rapidly, the lights were off, but it was irrelevant, the moonlight from the window provided enough visibility for the esper to see clearly.

With her Redirection ability, she twisted the chains away and pulled the IV lines, but much more gently compared to last time. After fixing her uniform,

Upon reaching the door, she read a note taped to the wall.

"_Dear Accelerator_

_ By the time that I estimated that you wake up, I would not be in the office since I am have other patients to take care of. Some visitor also gave you a gift, I placed it on top of the drawer. Oh and take extra care when you leave, the news already spread like crazy."_

Confused at what the doctor said, she looked beside her bed to locate the drawer, there was a small box, it was not wrapped professionally. Yuriko set her Redirection to passive in case this gift ended up being a disguised bomb, it was not the first time that an assassination attempt was made on her life. With a careful motion, she slowly opened the box to reveal a beaded necklace that consisted of a pattern of three colours, white, red and black and repeat. The esper's hands shook as she realised who was the one that even bothered to give her such a gift, "Touma, you are too kind…" it was the only phrase that she can speak, because Yuriko simply felt unworthy of still being Touma's friend, but the fact that he still held hope for her was too much to bear emotionally.

After attaching the necklace, the white haired girl departed the hospital and set off to her way to home, or at least her residence…

"Hey, it's the one that's called the Strongest, but she's just a weak little girl if she got punked by a level 0," taunted the ongoing pedestrians, but the esper simply didn't care nor responded to their provocations, she has too much on her mind right now and wouldn't waste time with additional small fry.

"Stupidity has no limits, one may say" sighed the albino as she dispatched several level 0s who decided to challenge her by reflecting their attacks back to them. Well, at least she didn't behead them or blow them up as a show of force. Primarily, it was simply a waste of effort on her part and she doesn't want her darker side to run wild again.

At the sight of her residence, the level 5 esper groaned loudly at the state that it was in. The windows were shattered, the closets were looted and the fridge was damaged beyond recognition. The owner turned her head towards the bed, and just gave it a look before turning away at the mess it was in.

Since the participants of the Level 6 Shift experiment were given a large amount of funding, Yuriko would also have a large sum in her bank account, and paying for the damages would not be an issue, it's to avoid a similar experience while she was away was the main problem.

She opened the mailbox, which was undamaged in the attack, she expected a prank mail or hate mail, but instead it contained a location for a new residence. The fact that this was act of pity only served to anger the Strongest. She clenched her fist and crushed the paper, "What is that person up to?" She swore, notably to the air, but for her, it was a way to vent our frustration instead of tearing another's limbs. The albino smiled evilly, "Sure, I'll play along. But I can guarantee that it won't go as he planned." The white haired esper packed lightly, with one set of clothing (that was undamaged), her wallet and identification.

Jumping from the 3rd floor was not a problem for the esper that controlled vectors. In fact, she can inflict more damage to the ground than what the laws of gravity would dictate, and even without a scratch on herself. To Yuriko, this was her way of avoiding the stairs and to conserve time.

At school, 

Touma struggled to prevent himself from falling asleep in his teacher, Komoe, one of the many wonders of Academy City, as he opened his eyes to find the short teacher giving him a lecture of the 10 reasons why he was not achieving academic standards, have to participate in a punishment game and etc. It was nothing new.

Something nudged against the teen's elbow, "Hey Kami-nyan…You are SOOOO lucky to spend time with Komoe-sensei…..I envy you so much!" came the grinning response of one of the members of the school's infamous Delta Force, Aogami Pierce.

Touma couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. Yes, while he pondered about his choice of friends and that this 'friend' of his could admit blatantly that he is a lolicon.

After the class, the unlucky teen felt someone pat his back. Oh, what luck! It was the other member of Delta Force, Motoharu Tsuchimikado, the blonde wrapped his arm around Touma's shoulder, "Hey Kami-nyan…I've heard that you are having financial issues, how about a part time…?"

The response was quick, "No, I will not help to smuggle drugs, fight in underground arenas or join Skill-Out." The Delta force member just dropped his shoulders as though his friend just saw his plans through, but regardless he still kept that silly grin. He left while giving a "Let me know if you're interested."

Touma shook his head back and forth, there was one more place to find work, at least while comparably less in wages but at least it would decrease his time at home where he'll find a wrathful nun on an empty stomach.

He can cook for the cafeteria, assuming that there were still looking for applicants. Oh well, anything is better than no work and parents' allowances could only last so long. Touma facepalmed at the fact that he would also need to apply for a new credit card because he destroyed it when he sat on it this morning. "Such misfortune."

Back to the residence office

The white haired esper finally reached her destination. She revealed the letter to the head of the dorm, who read over the note. The dorm head adjusted her glasses, her lips curled into a slight frown, "Because of the sudden notice, you may need to take a temporary stay at a student's dorm before I get a room available and I also need to ask Komoe for permission." She also handed the esper the location of her temporary home, saying that she'll just have to stay there for 2 days.

Yuriko took the sheet while reading it over, she thanked the dorm head and left for her new destination. With her Acceleration, she just ran to the area, without exerting effort. She didn't even pay attention that a certain nun had just recently left from her destination.

With the key in hand, she opened the door, only to find the room in a state of mess. The comment that escaped her mouth, "It's definitely a guy's room." There were also lots of dirty dishes as well as discarded snack wrappers on the ground.

The esper continued walking and she didn't even notice as she stepped over a broken credit card, which contained the broken words, "Kamij…T…ma."

~End of chapter 1

Author's note and rambling:

So yea, I found some motivation to write this. But don't expect any fast updates for this story, as my summer school essays are killing me.

About the story and character:

While thinking of Yuriko, I think the voice actor that suited my image of Yuriko would be Yukari Tamura, using her dark voice (Rika Furude)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: You wanted more? I'll give you more! :D Hopefully, this will make up for a possible long absence for my essay work. That is unless someone is also interested in continuing the story on my behalf, PM me.**

**EDIT: Just corrected a little bit of spelling errors, not much has changed from the prev. upload.**

**Chapter 2**

The esper opened several closets, she was fortunate that some of them were unused. After she placed the clothing in a separate corner, away from the male's clothing. The last thing she wanted was a misunderstanding that she was an intruder upon the owner's home. But, if he was to resist, he would just be blown away without any trouble.

With a pull of the handle, Yuriko's eyes narrowed in irritation at the contents of the fridge, or rather at the lack of contents. It was EMPTY, either the owner was lazy in buying groceries or he was a glutton. While the level 5 esper can't seem to go for complex homemade food, go for the simple ones. Cup ramen may be simple, but at least it contains enough carbohydrates to last the day.

While the simmering noodles were being heated, the red eyed girl could only ponder what lied ahead in regards to her life….one of those requirements was nourishment.

Somewhere in the depths of Academy City

A certain scientist punched the desk, after the defeat of Accelerator at the hands of a level 0, there were many reports that he needed to file and also many from the Administration demanded an explanation why the strongest of the city could lose to a simpleton.

After all the training that he provided for his "daughter", Kihara simply cannot take this news lightly. Finding the level 0 would take time and resources, but this would be important in further refining the strongest to suit Academy City's agenda. However, he would save the hunt for later, he had another target to find.

The scientist picked up the mic and produced a wicked grin, "Hey Wolf 1 and 2, I want you to find a brat, and if anyone dares to interfere, deal with them." He received a confirmation from the soldiers and placed the mike down with an unreadable expression, _that Aleister, what on earth can be so important for such a little girl?_ Many theories were available, but none of the explanations seem to be valid, even in terms of esper ability and AIM capabilities, she was only a level 3. Kihara's smile grew, _that is unless Aleister is a lolicon, heh heh. _

While Kihara could slowly enjoy this game of cat and mouse, he could doubt Aleister for all he wanted, but regardless, Aleister did show him a lot of strange but miraculous things. Much of these satisfied the scientist, seeing that the world was simply too boring even with the rise of science. What else in the world is more exciting than only the world of science…?

In the school cafeteria

Touma managed to find work and was overjoyed that there was no misfortune hitting his way…yet. That was until a baseball smashed a window, hit the table with the ketchup, which sprayed the fuming spiky haired teen with it's red contents.

"Such misfortune…"

The teen wiped some of the contents with a paper towel, but he'll need to use the laundry to wash off the stains. He turned his attention back to the food, all of which produced a nice aroma, which would have the ability to lure index from within a 150 meter radius. Fortunately, the nun was located 1 kilometer away from the school, which would spare any headbites for the afternoon

When serving food, Touma looked up to see Fukiyose crossing her arms. He braced himself for a lecture that was to come, it was extremely common for the class president to dish out orders and lectures like they were bullets from guns.

"Hey Kamijou!" the girl with the large bust glared at the cook, "Aren't you supposed to be in class today?" Touma could have swore that sunlight from the windows reflected off the girl's forehead to create an intimidating image. Also, the teen secretly knew that the physical power the class president held was no bluff, she carried enough strength to throw tables with ease.

Bracing himself for more pain, Touma clasped his hands to apologise, "I am under a heavy financial crisis, so this Kamijou-san is now working towards benefiting society through labour." Part of his mind wanted to slap himself for making up such a sad excuse in an attempt to dissuade Fukiyose. As expected, the girl was not amused especially with the twitching eyebrow. But, she sighed as her expression softened, "just be sure to make up for the missing class alright?"

Spared the punch of the week, Touma nodded quickly in order to acknowledge her request and with the intention of getting the class representative off her back, Touma turned back to the food, which got the attention of the other cooking staff.

With all the gratitudes and thanks, Touma surely experienced the warmth of a community, but he also found his thoughts wandering back to a certain strongest esper….

In the streets of Academy City…

A small girl was running through the street, her endurance was running low because she was running for several minutes without much of the rest from her pursuers. While the soldiers were given strict orders to not kill her, they were allowed to use anything to capture her regardless.

The worn out blanket that the girl used as clothing concealed her hand, which she used her power to deactivate a lock, with the hopes of concealing herself inside. Gunshots rang outside, as they hit uselessly against the door of steel.

The figure sat and breathed a sigh of relief, she climbed up to the roof of the building to ensure that the soldiers were not hunting her. But, they only temporarily retreated to bring a different set of weaponry.

The situation was not favourable at all, the girl attempted to jump to the next roof, which was 2 meters. She clenched her teeth and tried to pull herself up. The hand reached further to grab a small bar, which allowed her to step briefly on the wall.

The brown haired girl elevated herself, she finally reached the other end. She ran out of breath and almost collapsed by overexerting herself.

On the marketplace of Academy City

Yuriko took the time to walk outside to buy some groceries, she didn't find the fact that she was doing a favour for someone else very entertaining. But her stay at her guest's house would be short and painless, hopefully on both ends.

Scooping fruits, vegetables along with a small box of canned meat, she paid for the products and left on her way. While Yuriko lacked a family, she wondered about the possibility of doing such activities in a family. Such a thought brought back to mind regarding her happy childhood years when she interacted with the kamijou family, they were really nice. _But, they won't respect you now because you are both a monster and the strongest in the academy city,_ a dark voice sneered in her head.

Receiving a slight backlash on her conscience, she ordered the voice to shut up, she absolutely knew that she was a demon, and that redemption was close to impossible. But she only wanted to be forgiven, by Touma…

Her thoughts were distracted when she came upon a strange sight, the red eyes inspected a fallen body, with strange white robes. Giving the "corpse" a light kick without using Redirection, the response was immediate.

"Ow, that hurt!" came the voice of a certain sister as she sprang back standing.

Yuriko met the somewhat annoyed expression of the sister with a blank stare of her own. She can't really place it, but she feels a little bit of hostility towards this guest but not to the point of killing her. "So what are you doing there on the streets?" was the question that the esper posed to the green eyed sister. Her guard was placed on neutral, seeing as this person was a mere oddball for the weird choice of clothing.

The sister's stomach growled before she almost fainted. The esper looked on in surprise, at the nun's movements. Giving a large sigh, Yuriko instinctively grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her to the nearest restaurant.

The red eyed esper sat down and spoke with a sharp tone, "Look, I'll feed you in the hopes that I don't get questioned by Anti-skill." Index was only paying attention at the word, "feed" and waiting for a similar word of "food", it was the only thing that mattered to the Anglican sister. Unfortunately on the other hand, Yuriko was completely unaware of what troubles await her wallet once she bought the first dish….

(20 minutes later)

Index slurped the noodles loudly, which only earned annoyance from the albino, and her glaring expression replaced with one that had a mix of both disgust and surprise. It was the 6th bowl of noodles that Yuriko had ordered for the sake of appeasing this nun.

But analysing it from another point of perspective, was it even possible to fit that much food in the human body. The esper estimated that a body of that size could only eat 2 bowls and be satisfied. _So, either her food drive is malfunctioning in her brain or that this oddball has unreal metabolism which burns an immense amount of calories. _But Yuriko facepalmed, "What a beast…" she spoke quietly, so that the sister would not hear. Well, her attention was on the food and the esper doubted that she would hear it even if she spoke loud enough.

Yuriko regained what was left of her rational side, after seeing this "creature" devour food like no other another animal has ever done so before, "Look, the least you can do is thank me." The sister finished another bowl, "oh yea, thank you very much!" To Index, this person was already a candidate as a friend, one that Yuriko does not have the current interest of being right now.

The albino stood up with the intention of leaving, but Index grabbed on to Yuriko's black skirt, the response was brimming with hostility, "I don't know about you, but I need to go home!" The esper did all she can to resist intentions of either knocking her out or turning her into a pile of flesh on the spot.

Index looked up eagerly at the frustrated white haired esper, "Since you treated me for lunch, how about I walk you home, it's part of my Christian teachings to show some gratitude to your benefactor." Yuriko managed to calm down and just walked towards the door, "I have no time for this…" with the use of Redirection ability, she ran faster than Index's eyes could follow.

Index placed her finger on her chin, "She was a nice person, I hope I can meet her again…"

Back at school

Touma finally worked off a day at cooking hundreds of meals. Finishing the day and allowing his muscles to recuperate, the teen asked for permission from the kitchen staff to pack some leftovers that he could take home.

"Yea, take it! You deserve the credit!" The manager gave Touma a good pat in the back, and giving him leave. With that, Touma was recognised as one of the chief chefs of the kitchen for as long as he wanted. Well at least he has a potential career to avoid starvation and to avoid torture at the hands of his guests.

Packing his books and bags, he turned towards his home._ And I still need to get my clothing washed, the smell could reach on to meters and there will be a high chance that Index may attack me in the process,_ thought Touma.

Taking a short path to his home, a middle schooler stood in front of Touma, but showed no hostile intention towards her senior. The spiky haired teen looked ahead to see Misaka Mikoto, the 3rd level 5 in Academy City, and another girl that he ended up saving.

The middle school student stepped to Touma, handed him a big with cookies, "This is a small gift for all that you have done for me and the sisters." Touma paused a moment before taking the bag, "There is no need for you to give me this. I made this decision myself and I was prepared to face the consequences."

The girl protested, "But if it weren't for me, none of this would have happened. If I wasn't so naïve back there, then I would have never gave them my DNA." She clenched her fists in regret for her past deeds.

Touma continued walking and stopped one meter behind the brown haired esper, "But if you didn't give the scientists your DNA, then the sisters wouldn't be born. While they were bred to be slaughtered, they still enjoyed life while it lasted. Therefore, I think you should be proud and your Sisters aren't the type to be seeking revenge for their birth right?"

With that, Mikoto silently smiled and walked away. She needed to hear that, because she wanted to be forgiven by her sisters, and Touma's words opened her heart and mind. Her sisters will not blame her for their deaths.

Touma smiled, knowing all is well, continued walking back home and started to think about Index.

By night time in center of Academy city…

The cloaked girl began running again, fortunately for her, the soldiers still did not get a lead on her, but she needed to keep running. She did not know who to turn to for help. The scientists of Academy City would love to get their hands on her, even after the failure of the level 6 experiment, with her, another experiment may restart. The most ideal form of help is if she can find the former participants of the experiment, then they may protect her.

She came across a small hut and stayed there for an hour before turning the corner to an alley, the girl climbed up the fence and continued moving.

Meanwhile, a man with sunglasses saw the running girl and smiled towards his companions. "Wolf 1, this is Wolf 3, found the target, resuming pursuit." With that, he nodded to his compatriots and they began moving.

"This game of tag will come to an end, little girl." With that, he loaded up his tasers and tranquilizer ammunition, got into his military can to resume the pursuit.

At Touma's dorm

Yuriko threw her dirty clothing to the floor, took out a new pair and placed it on the bed. She quickly changed it, giving a small hair flick which allowed the sunlight to create a glowing image. The albino took the food and placed it inside her fridge and the fruits inside a bowl.

*knock knock*

The esper twisted the handle and probably regretted that decision immediately once he saw a certain acquaintance that she just met this afternoon.

The green eyed nun smiled broadly and exclaimed, "It's you! What are you doing here?"

The red eyed girl turned away, "Such misfortune…I can tell that with your hunger, you probably went broke right." The sister shook her head, "No, I am not the owner of the house, but he will be back soon because he always comes back."

Wanting to inquire further on the initial owner, Yuriko took the initiative of starting a conversation, hoping it won't delve into the subject of food, "The person that is taking care of you, what is he like?"

"Oh, he's very friendly, very helpful but for some reason, girls are attracted to him and he fights to protect others," sang Index happily, but Yuriko had a sad grin, _reminds me strongly of Touma, kind and was always like a hero_.

Index looked at Yuriko strangely, "Don't tell me that you are one of the girls that he picked up?" The accusation was sharp, but the esper ignored her stare and flatly responded, "heh, there will be no guy that would have the wits to 'pick' me up."

With that, Index breathed a sigh of relief that at least she could still monopolise Touma for now without further interruption. Looking at the time, index frowned, "He's late. I hope he comes back and cooks me a good meal."

Yuriko didn't really mind if the original owner had no intention to cook for her, she could always cook her own portion or just buy food from the stores and risk busting a few espers that would be foolish enough to challenge her. She crossed her legs as she continued waiting, she has enough patience to last a short while.

On the other hand, Index was getting restless, pacing back and forth, uttering stuff about a possible magic attack, the owner being injured and bad luck and such.

Both girls paused and heard footsteps approaching the door, well at least they don't have to starve yet. Index happily walked to the door, "Welcome back Touma!"

_Wait, Touma? Did she just say Touma?_ Yuriko glanced at the door opening, she saw the arm reach out to drop a box containing today's dinner, she observed the teen, the spiky black hair, the kind facial expression. _No, this can't be!_ Her eyes widened in shock as an overwhelming emotion began to engulf the level 5 esper.

The teen entered the room and his black eyes came into contact with beautiful red orbs. He walked closer to the esper, as the girl slowly backed up, _I can't meet him like this, not now not at this time._

The albino felt a multitude of emotion washing on her, sadness, happiness, slight anger, relief. Her lips were frozen in place as though placed in a trance, but she only spoke one word filled with emotion,

"Touma…."

~End chapter 2

**Ending note: Himegami has transferred out of Touma's house after the Sisters' arc and that's the reason why you don't see her in Touma's dorm. **

**I am sure most people should know who the cloaked girl is by now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: I had this chapter under wraps, but I was just lazy to upload it. And damn, school ****stinks…especially when it comes to writing more papers (my worst enemy)**

Chapter 3

Red eyes widened at the sight of the new arrival, "Touma…" The response was not well received. While the black haired teenage still has that shocked expression, his hand was also clenching into a fist, in case Yuriko was planning to attack him or Index.

It pains Yuriko to meet her hero again, especially when she found that she hasn't deemed herself to be redeemed, therefore being unworthy in the presence of such a friendly atmosphere. It also occurred to the level 5 esper that Touma smiled once he saw Index and immediately turned to a slight frown once he saw her.

This feeling was revolting, it seemed as though Yuriko's heart was being twisted by a claw wrenching it from her body. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. She had wondered if any words would not end up turning into curses. The dark side of her mind was passive for now, albeit still whispering that Yuriko should kill both of them before her opponent raise his guard.

"Yuriko, what are you doing here?" The tone from the male had no hostility, but it was firm and with enough emotion to put the level 5 esper on edge. The response was instant, "I mean no harm, I have no intention to fight you." There was that dark presence that was beginning to cloud the girl's thought, and it caused her facial expression to twitch briefly in pain.

Touma's expression softened, somehow he knew that Yuriko was a victim to circumstances much like himself, but unlike her, he did not understand her situation fully about being used as a lab rabbit to undergo tests which would push her to become a god among lower espers.

Index's smile turned into a mild frown as she watched the interaction between the guest and the host of the household. She was not liking the relationship between the two, and could see a mysterious atmosphere between the two. If she could compare it, it was similar to the one when Touma had confronted her partners, _Fortis931 (Stiyl) _and_ Salvare000 (Kaori)_ but Index sensed that these two had a previous connection, she guessed it would be similar to her previous partners that she had forgotten.

Index broke the tense atmosphere with her stomach grumbling, which earned a questioning look from Yuriko and a sigh from Touma, who then took the bags to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Touma's cooking skills were well developed, seeing he had to fend for himself and now he had to feed an extra mouth (or two, with Yuriko here at this time). He did not want to aggravate both Index and Yuriko, but there was also a part of him that didn't want to see Yuriko. Most of that guilt was based around how people can change THIS much within this amount of time.

Once the meals were ready, it consisted of simple spaghetti and meat. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was more quantity than quality today. In the meantime, the esper blinked before taking the fork, wondering if she should really accept this hospitality. Index grabbed Yuriko's hands and plunged them into her plate, hopefully to force her to eat this treasure of life. The level 5 esper looked wih wide eyes at the nun's actions and was thinking to herself, if she harbored any killing intention, that would have been the last thing that hand will ever grab.

The pale girl took a bite of her childhood friend's masterpiece, smiled but also started to leak tears, she remembered all those treasured memories with the Kamijou family, the warm atmosphere that she missed, but a scorning face started to appear, yes it was the face of Kihara._ For me to attain this warmth, I must tie up loose ends, it's the only way I can redeem myself,_ vowed Yuriko mentally. For now, Yuriko must conceal herself from Touma, so that he will not follow her on the bloody path that she swore to follow…

The dishes were cleaned by Touma, and he went to bed because he had to wake up early the next day. For Yuriko, she had to plan her next move, Kihara wouldn't be an easy target and she would have to slip away at night, to prevent pursuers from finding Touma, if he was harmed for her sake, she would never forgive herself. She believed that midnight would be the excellent time to leave the house.

*ZZZzzzZZZZZ*

*ZSSZZZZSSZZZ*

A vein popped in Yuriko's head, while she understood that people really need sleep, the noise that the sleeping nun was making was simply atrocious, not only was she a beast when feasting but one when sleeping as well. She took a last look at Touma, who didn't put on the comforters, or rather she believed that the sleeping youth kicked them off.

With a smile, the albino went closer and touched the fabric, and placed it on top of the spiky haired teen. That's when the same dark voice creeped back up, "Now's your chance for revenge! Take your place as the strongest once more! KILL HIM!" Unconsciously, she felt her hand reach closer towards the teen's head, with one touch, she could explode Touma's head instantly, assuming that his neutralising powers don't kick in…

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_ Screamed Yuriko mentally, she unconsciously was causing the apartment's foundations to shake. She was losing control of her powers, as she struggled to push that Accelerator persona away from killing her friend.

She contained it briefly, before whispering in Touma's ears, "I don't think I have stay in the light, I am too deep in blood. But, I really want to stay with you one day…" With that, Yuriko dashed from the apartment and jumped outside while the killer personality subsided once she was away from the target of the fury.

Unknowningly to the leaving guest, a pair of eyelids opened and sadly looked at the fading shadow, "Yuriko, it is never too late for forgiveness. But I'll be waiting." Touma prayed that whatever Yuriko was going to do, they would eventually cross paths once more under much better circumstances.

Inside Academy City…

The soldiers loaded their ammunition and scoured the area, of which they can isolate fewer areas left to hide.

The mysterious veiled girl waited until the sounds of moving vans faded away, she breathed a sigh of relief until the door was kicked down.

"You really thought you could get away?" Sneered the lead soldier as he lifted his gun, loaded with tranquiliser darts.

3 shots were fired, which the girl darted backwards in order to avoid the shots, and released a torrent of electricity which stunned her pursuers temporarily. One of the soldiers began to pull out a sidearm.

"Wolf 4, you are not permitted to use live ammunition on the target. The commander wants her alive!"

The soldier with the pistol ignored his superior's orders, there was no way that he would be embarrassed by this little kid, and orders or not, she's going to pay!

The kid jumped to the street and just ran forward, without looking back.

On the other hand, Yuriko was also running with tears running her eyes, she turned away from her sanctuary and her purpose of living. It should be very ironic that the dorm was the only place that had it's lights turned on, while the rest of the city was extremely dim or very dark. With her sleeve, she wiped her tears away and began to concentrate on her resolve. First she would need to find Kihara, knowing that the doctor would not be idle enough to stay in the previous lab location, which means she would need to intercept some communication from the Board of Directors in an attempt to find him.

Without a lead, she just walked through the city until she heard gunshots. Confused, she already adjusted Redirection in case she would get involved in some shooting incident.

Bullets bounced off the street as the frustrated soldier continued to shoot round after round, and reloaded to repeat the process again. Unfortunately, an anomaly in his plan for revenge showed in the form of a certain level 5 esper.

The cloaked girl collided with the esper, who quickly deactivated redirection to prevent sending the girl flying. Yuriko grabbed the girl and threw her (gently….enough) on the floor and activated Redirection and sent the bullets flying elsewhere.

Accelerator looked at the soldier, "You better give me a good reason of why you just shot me, or you are going to die VERY fast."

The soldier began to panic, well it's a natural response for facing the ex-strongest in Academy City, he pulled out a mike and spoke, "This is Wolf 4, I bumped into Accelerator, requesting mission update!"

A certain scientist was listening in to the conversation and blew out his cigarette, "Never mind Wolf 4, he's going to be a sacrifice, now that he bumped into a level 5. All remaining soldiers are to retreat, mission is going to be aborted."

With that, the soldier visibly paled as Yuriko came closer to him and grabbed his head, "Listen you, I am going to give you one chance. Explain yourself or die…" Her hand squeezed harder and the facial bones was starting to build up tension from the pressure.

"I…was on a mission to capture…that girl! That's all!" The soldier shakingly pointed his finger at the short girl wearing a veil. The esper made a frown, "That's all? That's not much. Oh and good bye." With use of vector manipulation, she whipped the man into a brick wall, he would live, but may suffer a few broken bones, all of which shouldn't life threatening. Turning back her attention on the small girl, who seemed to relax even witnessing a display of strength.

"Oh you are the…." She was cut off when the albino lifted the girl in a similar manner, but this time grabbing the collar instead of the neck. Red eyes glared at the petit person.

"Explain yourself or suffer the same fate as him." The girl then began to clear her throat, "I am Last Order, as Misaka as Misaka introduces herself while being grabbed in the collar."

That name struck a bad note upon the level 5 esper. "Did you say Misaka?" Her red eyes took on a more dangerous look as she tore off the veil from the stunned victim. The fact that she was nude, flat chest and only a small kid was not what had caught the attention of the strongest, but the face. It was the same as the clones and the original, albeit this one displaying more emotion compared to the cattle that she had killed in the past.

Last Order covered herself with her arms and screamed, "What are you doing? As Misaka as Misaka demands an explanation of why she was brutally assaulted by a female."

Yuriko still didn't let go, "Did you come here to kill me to avenge your sisters?" Well, the esper would understand such a motive must exist within the sisters, afterall, over 10,000 sisters had died because of her, so having resentment wouldn't be a surprise.

"No. Misaka was released from her incubation tank when you lost during the experiment, therefore my body adjustments were incomplete as Misaka as Misaka explains what had happened a week ago."

Yuriko released the clone's collar, allowing her to drop to the floor with a THUK!

Brown eyes looked eagerly at the taller esper, she smiled, "So, is it possible that you can contact the scientists so that they can at least finish my adjustments, as Misaka as Misaka hopes to be able to find help."

The response was silence, the level 5 esper shook her head, "I can't help you there, seeing as I am personally looking for the head of the experiment myself." Well, to kill him anyways, well Yuriko knows some of the lesser scientists, but she wasn't sure that those were the ones that Last Order was looking for.

"oh…" as the Misaka clone lowers her head in despair, as Yuriko begins to walk away back to her old home. She heard footsteps approaching her and it was the same Misaka clone running beside her.

"So, is Misaka allowed to stay with you for the timebeing? As Misaka begs as Misaka hopes that she would be able to find temporary shelter." If Yuriko actually took the time to pay attention to the person beside her, she would be witnessing a wonderful explain of the legendary puppy eyes, not like it would affect the albino in any case.

"Do as you wish." That was the only reply that Yuriko could utter. She wasn't sure if it was the right decision or not, but if it was wrong, then she would just need to bear with it. Touma has done it many times before, to her, it would be nothing…

~End chapter 3

**Author additional notes: Now that school has resumed and that I am also a beta for other authors, I doubt that I could find much time with this project anymore. There is no certain time of when I can finish the next chapter. **

**I did promise a madoka/index crossover to Soul Assassin on animesuki, which I really need to complete.**


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